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Savannah man charged with animal cruelty after police find dead dog

Police arrested a Savannah man Wednesday on multiple animal abuse charges after officers found a dead dog outside his home.

John Spaulding, 56, was charged with three counts of animal cruelty from the state of Georgia, two counts of no shots, two counts of no tags, one count of animal neglect, one count tethered dog, and one count of failure to report a dead animal.

Just after 3 a.m., officers responded to a theft report on the 1200 block of Damon Street. While inspecting the house’s exterior for signs of theft, officers observed a decaying dog in a pen with a malnourished dog, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.

A second malnourished dog was discovered tied to a fence. Injuries consistent with dog fighting also were present on the animals, Miller said.

The dogs appeared to be pit bulls and pit bull mixes.

Animal Control officers arrived and removed the deceased dog’s remains and transported the remaining dogs to an emergency veterinary hospital.

They were released and are now housed at the police department’s animal shelter, Miller said.